Archive for February, 2010

On Sunday morning, I met Brian and one other dude for a nice 1.5 hour trail run. The temps were hovering around freezing and, at 7:30am, the trails were sure to be still hardpacked. We left from Golden, and ran up the trails to North Table Mountain Plateau. The trails were indeed dry.

The run uphill was fairly mellow, with plenty of switchbacks. My legs were a little fatigued from the previous day’s climbing. Lucky for me, Brian was taking a fairly moderate pace, so I wasn’t left behind. Also the other dude’s dog kept wandering off, which gave me a chance to catch my breath.

We ran for about half an hour until we surmounted the North Table Mountain Plateau, 800 feet of elevation gain. The sun started to peak out from the hazy sky, and the warmth felt good. There was 4-8 inches of snow up on the plateau, and in short order my feet were completely soaked.

After running around up there for about 40 minutes, we headed back downhill. Yippee! We made it back to the car around 9am and chatted briefly before going our separate ways. What a nice way to start the day!

On Saturday morning, I woke up early and joined Jenny in a birthday run. We ran around her place, near downtown Denver. It was a Ghetto style run, but also featured a long stretch adjacent to the Platte River. (What a treat that was!). We ran for about 45 minutes, a great way to start the day. (more…)

It is 30 dF and overcast. No trace of wind. Slightly snowing. Perfect for an afternoon run! Dennis & Emma turned down my invitation, so I’m going by myself…The grey sky is gloomy, but the glow from the snow will cast a magical spell on me.

Early in my run, I had a feeling of light heartedness and quickly a smile flashed across my face. I guess it was frozen there, because in about 10 minutes I could no longer feel anything from my chin to my eyebrows. The numbness did not matter, I was out on a mission.

I ran over to the park, and passed one solitary jogger. Some dude wearing about 10 layers of clothing, I thought, “He must be drowning in sweat!”. I was already hot, as my new fleece lined running tights provided a cozy layer of warmth.

I started vegging out, just lost in that trance like state. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw motion. Hmmmm, not good! Then, “Watch Out Lady!”. A sledder careened out of control down the slope, and narrowly missed me midstride. A few paces slower and I would have been turned into a flat pancake. Whew!

After the close call, I decided to head home. I think the run was around 9 miles, but it felt like much more. It must have been the adrenaline!

Time for the annual Cross Country Ski and Waffle day, organized by Dan M. I was totally psyched to participate in this tradition. It’s a very simple day; wake up early, head up to the mountains, enjoy waffles & breakfast with some colleagues, then ski! What could be more fun!!! (more…)